The Last Ones
by TheSadGuy666
Summary: Naruto was never normal. His parents and origin are a thing of mystery. But truly, even if few or even nobody knows who Naruto Uzumaki is, it is only he who can save the world from eternal damnation. It is only he who can surpass the machinations of evil gods and men to do great things, to protect life, to ensure survival of his his fading race, and to learn about who he really is.
1. Hellish Misadventures

Greetings readers, this is my second story I've been thinking of for a very long while, and have finally decided to get it started. I'm going to try a different approach with this story, and will ATTEMPT make the chapters a bit shorter, to see if I would be motivated to write up chapters more quickly, which may result in a chapter being uploaded in separate "sequences" depending on the length. This story was greatly inspired by a personal favorite video game series, and also inspired by an original fantasy story I've been working on. This is going to make my first story look short, in terms of total length, assuming it is ever finished, as this is incredibly lengthy. Regardless, I hope you enjoy, and I always love to have responses.

Disclaimer: I disclaim ownership of any works of other people that may be included in this, but I DO claim ownership of the original devices from my personal works, et cetera, et cetera…

And most importantly, enjoy and review.

Chapter One:

Hellish Misadventures

It was war, plain and simple. The village of Konoha was thrust into chaos, as all the lands around, both near and far, were all fighting a pointless war, a futile conflict. The world was enshrouded in darkness, the very fabric of that which holds together humanity and separates man from beast was forgotten, and in its absence violence, revolt, and hatred have arisen. Vacuums of power were created as smaller countries began warring, leading inevitably to the addition of the largest countries. In the midst of this worldwide war of attrition, there was a young prodigy, a young jounin, Minato Namikaze. In his home village of Konohagakure, he was known as a genius, a truly powerful opponent whose tactics, intelligence, and cleverness would leave his mark in the annals of history forevermore, as it was both his hubris and intellect that saved the world indirectly in ways few could dream of…

"Minato, are you sure? Surely you know how dangerous this is, and you know we need your help in this war. We have a chance with you as you are, but if you fail at this project and become injured or worse, there is no hope…" an old man in white robes worriedly spoke to a blonde man in a green flak jacket in a dark room filled with scrolls, some open, some stored, some haphazardly scrawled on. "Hokage-sama, I know this seems risky, but trust me, after all my calculations and experiments, I know that without a doubt, this will possibly work," answered the blonde man. "Possibly! You risk our future, our families, our people, our lives on chance?"

"Possible or not it may be, but I'm even more certain that the injury probability is very low, if not nonexistent. Don't worry, old man. Trust me."

The older man sighed deeply, knowing his choice would either doom or save his entire country. "Explain it to me again, then, with great detail. I want to be sure you know what you're doing before you do it. I want to know this will give us the upper hand, especially against Iwa." The blonde nodded before shuffling across the room to an oak desk, covered with partially written scrolls and notes, before grabbing a few to point out a few notable points of interest to the older man. "You see, this ability would be using seals and a variation of reverse-summoning, like what Jiraya-sensei and I once discussed with you. Essentially a fixed point is given an exit seal, and when I channel my chakra toward it, I should, theoretically speaking of course, be reverse summoned to the point I choose instantly. Of course, the possibilities are endless, as are the distances traveled. So if a spy could affix a seal to the Tsuchikage…"

"I see. That is again, marvelously useful in theory, Minato. We have no idea how dangerous this could be, or if it would even work…"

"I give you my word, Sarutobi."

The old man sighed again, stressed far beyond normal human limits. This war and its problems were severely impairing his judgment as of late. "I'll acquire top available jounin and ANBU within the hour. Have it ready to test."

True to the old man's word, within the hour, a small group of thirteen shinobi were situated in the same faintly lit chamber, although now the floor had a rather large seal on it, and a small secondary seal had been sketched on a slip of paper, and yet another on Minato's torso. The Hokage had just rallied this small group, who had no idea what was going on.

"Comrades, it is time to reveal to you the truth of our secret "project" that Minato, Jiraya, and I have been working on. This little project of ours has the ability to turn the war in our favor, and end it. However… we do not know if it works." The Hokage stopped for but a moment, allowing the situation to settle. "I've assembled you, the best of the best I have available here in the village, and it is you who will help us test this ultimate power. Now, Minato, if you are ready…?" The blonde nodded to the older man. "Yes, then. Please take an empty spot around the seal, and channel a constant flow of chakra. We'll have to hope for the best…"

Minato nodded before affixing the paper seal to the solid stone wall nearby, before stepping into the center of the circular seal, already glowing with supernatural energy. He could feel the rush of extraneous chakra coursing through him, but he knew he had to focus. He completed many seals in a short amount of time, focusing intensely while his comrades struggled to keep the flow constant. He finally ceased and slammed his hand into the ground, similar to summoning jutsu, except something absolutely unprecedented happened. They expected him to disappear, and appear by the seal in the wall successfully. What they didn't expect was…

"I told you it was possible, it shouldn't surprise you we failed with the original jutsu."

"You could've died!"

"But I didn't, now did I?" asked Minato jokingly.

"This is no time for games!" shouted a still worried Hokage. "Just… tell me what this is. What have you done?"

The other shinobi stood in awe, seeing the produced effect of something other than intended.

Before them, on the wall where the seal tag once was, a swirling vortex churned slowly on the wall like a thick violet and red gaseous black hole, glowing eerily but making not a sound.

"Hokage, this is… this isn't what we wanted but… Nothing like this was even considered as a possible failure of my technique. I think this is… this is a portal to another world, perhaps..."

The Hokage thought for a moment, listening to the slight shuffling of nervous ANBU and jounin around him and Minato. "Minato… is it dangerous? Could someone… something come through it?"

"No, Hokage-sama, I think that it is only possible for us to travel through, since it was our chakra that activated it. Of course, that's simply conjecture…"

"Well, for safety's sake, could we close it? I'm not sure I like having a portal to another world in Konoha's top-secret military base."

"Assuredly, all we would have to do is obliterate this seal, and the portal would vanish, but I implore you Sarutobi, let me study it. Perhaps it could be of some use to us."

"How so? It's war time, Minato. Our comrades, our friends are dying. We have not the time for scientific exploration purely for the sake of curiosity or, or possibility. We need a weapon, or that ability of yours that still hasn't worked, to gain leverage and prevent further bloodshed… We can't just take our eyes off the oncoming disaster for some possibly dangerous anomaly, especially when there's a war we are losing out there!"

"Hokage-sama, on the off chance that old saying is correct… 'Don't regret what you know, but regret what you don't know,' you should know as a ninja that even irrelevant things are relevant, in some way. What if by some off chance, what if this portal lead to a world with advanced technology for us to use against our enemies here? What if it held some sort of great power that we could use to our advantage? Why should we immediately discount it without first knowing what it is…?"

Again, the Hokage was silenced. "Fine. You were right about it being safe, so I'll give you another chance, on good faith if nothing else. We will all step through it momentarily, and then if it seems safe, we will immediately begin a short expedition. You two," he pointed to a duo of ANBU, "stay here and if by some chance the portal seems to be closing, channel as much chakra as possible to keep the portal open… otherwise, well, we may never meet again." The ANBU realized their immensely important duty and affirmed, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I'll go first, Hokage-sama. If it's safe, I'll step back through immediately and inform you. Otherwise…"

"I'm not closing it until you come back through it, at the very least, be hell's hounds at your heel or death itself."

Minato nodded, smiling slightly. "Wish me luck, old man!" He stepped through the portal, an odd warping sound signifying his passing as his figure seemed to dissipate and dissolve into the swirling vortex. The hearts of the remainder of shinobi in the room were all beating loudly, hoping, praying to their own gods that by some miracle he would return safely, uninjured, with news of how this would help Konoha win the war.

Minutes passed, the Hokage began to sweat. He was beyond anxious. He was beginning to pace when another presence made itself known to the occupants of the room. "Sensei! What did you just let that brat do! I could feel the chakra surge all the way… from…" a middle-aged man with long white hair trailed off upon seeing the swirling vortex and the congregation of silent people. "Sensei, what happened?" Jiraya turned with a most serious expression toward the Hokage, his old mentor.

"He screwed up his ultimate technique, but instead of the estimated unintended effects, we had… this 'portal' appear. We don't know where it goes, but Minato insisted he explore the other side, convinced it would help us win the war, somehow. I… Jiraya, we're desperate. We need to know if there is something we can use there. Nothing like this has ever happened before, you know the possibilities are… extraordinary of this ever occurring in the first place, much less again in the future."

"Sensei… It's too dangerous. What if it's instant death! What if he never comes back? You may have let my pupil walk right into his very death, his demise is—"

A warping sound signified the passing of a being through the portal and Minato appeared with a sly grin and cut Jiraya off. "What was that about my demise?"

It was quite a time later, after the ninjas' collective clamoring had died down, all happy that Minato had made it back unscathed, before the important question was asked by Sarutobi with an excited Jiraya standing attentive as well, "Well, Minato, pray tell what lies on the other side of that portal?" At this Minato smirked slightly, "Sensei, Sarutobi, neither of you will believe your eyes. It was a separate world, I wasn't able to explore far but the portal leads into a deep, decaying forest with absolutely gigantic husks of trees, although I admit the forest was… off." Sarutobi listened intently as Jiraya questioned Minato further. "What do you mean exactly?" Minato sighed and tried to begin explaining, much to everyone's chagrin. "Well, it's like… It's hard to explain. I felt immense amounts of power in that world, but I just didn't feel like it was 'alive' so to speak… I guess… It was as if the world was dead or dying, but was once alive. It's almost as if the life of that world is corrupted, or just… missing. And in the distance I could spy a large black tower, and in another area I think I saw what looked like a town, or what was once a town. Far to another direction, I saw these… massive pillars, stone probably, and broken, although I know not how many there were or what was once their purpose. It is nightfall there, and the moon is absolutely gigantic compared to our own. The sky seems almost normally colored, but it has the strangest tint of red… It just seems so strange, that place. I heard or saw not a single living creature, only deadened flora… But you will see for yourself, yes?"

Jiraya and Sarutobi looked at each other and nodded with excitement and fear, and in Jiraya's case a grim sense of pride in his pupil.

It was only a moment later when twelve ninja departed from the world that men knew, and arrived in a strange land where man knew not.

It was almost blindingly bright, the large, full moon glaring down at the newcomers to this land, bathing them in low, pale blue light while numerous dark clouds occasionally blocked out all ambient light. As their eyes grew accustomed to this alternating light levels, a stark contrast compared to the underground room they were working in previously, they slowly began to make out the dark trees around them in the gloom beneath the canopy. They saw the "portal" as they knew it seemed to be a floating anomaly in mid-air, touching nothing, not even the ground. It seemed safe for the moment at least. In any case, the new arrivals exclaimed and gasped as they began to witness a new world unfold to their respective views.

In the immediate area, the group stood in a small clearing in the midst of a rather thick forest full of dark trees, the bark was so dark compared to the more vibrant browns of the trees from their lands. The leaves were dark, and sharp-tipped, not bright green and smooth like the ones in their land. And what Minato had explained held true to the group too, they sensed, they breathed death. They could feel it, but couldn't exactly detect it. And the trees themselves, they felt as if they were stagnant, as if they were all rotting on the inside but looked presentable on the outside.

"Well, sensei? Sarutobi-sama? What do you think? Isn't it fascinating?"

Jiraiya and Sarutobi just remained awestruck, barely able to form a coherent answer.

"I did quick reconnoiter earlier," Minato continued, smirking, "I noticed that about two miles away is some large structure here in the forest. It's in the direction of the moon, although I know not if it is east or west or north or south."

Jiraiya was the first to shake himself of his stupor. "Minato, I… I am… I cannot describe this. I am filled with pride that you, my own pupil, were able to do something never even conceived of. But I'm also infuriated at you for your recklessness, you brat! But you've not led us astray yet, so again, we will do as you say, as this is your experiment. Two of you ANBU, stay here and guard this end of the portal. The rest of you, follow us. Sarutobi-sensei, are you coming?" Jiraiya smirked a bit at the gaping mouth of one of the most powerful shinobi in their world, which quickly shut as he began shuffling along with the rest of the group who advanced toward the structure Minato pointed out in the distance. One ANBU advanced to the top of a tree to verify that it was in the correct direction.

"Hokage-sama, Minato is correct. There is some large structure; it seems to be a decrepit manor or fortress of some sort, or perhaps a small private castle. It's hard to discern from this distance in the gloom," the ANBU told them. The Hokage nodded his affirmation as they left the clearing and the two ANBU behind as the main group headed through the trees in the direction of the building. "I hope you know what you're doing, boy!"

The group of ten slowly approached the decrepit building through the dark forest, features of it slowly becoming clearer until moments later the group of ninja were standing at the broken and rusted front gates to what was once a massive and richly decorated manor. The mossy and vine-ridden brick was fractured mostly, breaking down after what may have well been centuries of forest expansion. The iron that wrought the gates and many iron fence posts about the outer wall was mostly rusted. The creaky gate was barely pushed open by the forefront ANBU and it slowly swung open, coming to a halt and clanging against the brick wall, enticing the shinobi to explore the garden inside the gate and before the grand manor major.

The garden was certainly once well-kept to be certain, as barely recognizable patterns could be seen in the flora in the places where it wasn't dead or overgrown. Six massive pillars lined the front courtyard before the great door to the crumbling manor's center wing. The center wing of the manor was certainly exquisite, even in its dilapidated state. High above there was a thick and ornate tower ascending from the center wing. Two other wings stretched to the left and right of the courtyard, each just as dark and dilapidated as the main center wing. The ninja slowly advanced through the courtyard, some ANBU scouting up the sturdiest of the collapsing pillars to look about, finding nothing. It seemed that the entrances to each the left and right wings were barricaded from the inside. The only possible entrance was through the front door to the central hall. "Well, sensei? What do you think of Minato's little discovery?" A moment passed in silence while Minato grinned complacently at his mentor and the aged Hokage. "I… I am amazed. But I wonder more so if we should continue onward. Who can say what we will find inside will be worth finding? Based on the aged look of the place, I wouldn't be surprised if the inside was overgrown with forest life as well."

"Well, Sarutobi, we can only find out one way, eh?"

The oldest ninja there sighed in exasperation. "Fine… Lead on, Minato."

Before the other ten walked up to the front door, Minato was there already opening the creaky and rotting oak double doors, the brass knobs no longer keeping the doors shut from exposure to the elements for so long. When they arrived, all was dark. Very little moonlight seeped into the darkened entry hall. However, moments later without warning, the many ancient candles that lined the walls throughout the entire domain immediately burst into life, casting dull light and oddly shaped shadows about the room the ninja had collected in. They were stunned and prepared for the worst, as if an enemy would appear at a moment's notice. After minutes of standing with weapons at the ready, hearing and otherwise sensing nothing, they relaxed slightly. They allowed themselves to look about the main hall. There were dozens of grand wooden doors leading to various rooms about the manor, but atop the dual stairs that so gracefully decorated the back of the main hall opposite of their entrance was a massive set of doors, easily twenty feet tall, signaling something important. Below the balcony with the door atop the stairs, situated beneath both flights of stairs was a beautiful but broken statue, its face frozen in stony agony at its demise years ago, left to its fate on the floor forevermore.

"Wow, the carpet here rivals that of your estate, eh Sarutobi?"

The Hokage glanced downward to see the dirty and mildewing maroon rugs that once elegantly decorated the stone brick floors before answering, "Shut up, boy… You know full and well I keep my fabrics at top quality." Jiraiya chuckled behind the Hokage at their jesting.

While the shinobi clamored about the main hall, examining once vivid paintings of now unrecognizable people and places and broken sculptures that lined the walls, Minato slowly ascended the stairs to the top to stand before the massive wooden doors that seemed to be where the maroon carpets led. Even the torches along the walls seemed to be lit to this place atop the stairs, whereas other hallways and doors were not so well lit, as if the candles beckoned him to this room in particular… He looked down to see there was a crack between the floor and the door, a small one, but one with red light shining through it nonetheless. Without a second to spare, he pushed against the door expecting it to creak open but, alas, it budged not. But the noise stirred the attention of the Hokage and Sannin from below the balcony atop the stairs where Minato was. "Minato, what are you doing? We need to stick together."

"I know but… I feel drawn here to this room. The candles seem to light a path here instead of elsewhere, and the carpets, they all lead up the stairs to this door. This is the center of the manor, surely there is something in there important. I feel it, sensei. But I cannot budge this door!" He continued to push with all his physical might and it did not budge.

Jiraiya and the Hokage and a couple ANBU ascended the dual flights of stairs to join Minato who had ceased his pushing and banging against the old oak door. "Minato, wait. Don't you feel that? The door it's… well it seems to be enchanted somehow. A barrier of some kind, perhaps…" Minato stood panting lightly for a moment while he used his senses to feel out the door's inherent barrier… Only to find one weakness.

"Ha, I see now, sensei." Jiraiya looked at the younger man questioningly. "Well, this… barrier, it seems to be powerful, but it has one weakness that the creator undoubtedly did not expect: supernatural attacks. Any powerful chakra attack from us should break the seal. Stand back, if you would."

The Hokage looked a bit tense. "Eh, Minato, are you sure we should do this so hastily? We haven't even been inside the estate for ten minutes. We know nothing about it. With each entryway we surpass we put ourselves at danger…"

"Don't worry, Sarutobi! It'll be fine!" At that, Minato let loose a powerful Rasengan against the door, an attack of massive rotational torque and chakra condensed into a small orb held in the hand. This orb was smashed against the door which thrashed and shook the very stone walls that still barely held them up until the doors disintegrated. "See? What did I say—" He was interrupted by a powerful shaking that seemed to cause the entire ground to quake, as if the earth was being ripped apart. One of the ANBU outside shouted up at them, "Hokage-sama! The sky is glowing blood red! The moon has been overtaken by black clouds! What did Minato-san do up there!?"

Minato and the others stood tensely, trying to keep their balance on the quaking stairwell and balcony until the quakes receded over the course of about thirty seconds. "What the hell was that?"

"I… don't know. Perhaps there was an energy trapped within the innermost sanctum of this manor that we released…?"

Sarutobi angrily shook his head and barked at two more ANBU to stay behind at the front gate. "If any other changes take place, you two come find us at once. Don't take any risks."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

With that, eight shinobi entered the newly opened room. Within they found a very well kept hall, much different than the dilapidated estate outside. Along the length of the room in the center was a massive elongated dining table with many elegantly carved wooden chairs surrounding it, even the silverware was left upon the table as if prepared for a feast centuries ago that was never to come. Along the opposite end of this room was a massive, elegant and burning fireplace, the source of the red light. Above their heads from where they entered was another flight of stairs leading to yet another alcove above the dining room, a massive painting of someone above. As the five shinobi searched the room for anything, Minato, Sarutobi and Jiraiya ascended this new flight of stairs to the third story alcove to gaze at the red-lit painting. The massive portrait seemed to depict a pale-blue skinned man with black raven-like wings and horns upon his brow, his face was elegant and lordly, although his pointed teeth and hellish yellow eyes depicted underlying depravity. They gazed with awe at this portrait for a moment while the other ninja joined them as they finished searching the room.

With everything done, they waited for Minato to lead them onward into yet another door, this one not nearly as grand as the one right below them. Minato put his hand against the door and pushed, revealing a spiral stair case that ascended upwards, the torches immediately lighting after he opened it. He looked back there to see the gazing faces of all about him, egging him onwards. Although they were cautious, they too were as curious as the blonde genius. "Well, let's see what's up above, shall we? Two of you stay here at the base of the stairs." Two shinobi nodded and stayed present in the dining room.

The Hokage and Jiraiya nodded and the three extra shinobi lined up behind them to follow their ruler's lead.

After many flights of stairs had been climbed in a ceaseless circle ever spiraling upwards, they finally ascended the final flights of stairs when they arrived at the top, a final door easily creaked open by Minato's hand, when he gasped. The others quickly followed to see what had occurred. Before Minato at the forefront of the party, there was a large amalgamation of candles whose melted waxes coated the ornate rug in the center of the room. In the center of this waxy prison was an ornate coffin etched with silver on its sturdy, dark Mahogany lid. Below the coffin was a delicate crimson silk cloth, hiding the table beneath that kept the coffin angled above the floor as it was. Behind the coffin and candles was a massive bay window that opened upon the grounds of the estate and the forest below, and through it all present could see the blacked clouds above that now hid the moon's light, but highlighted by some unknown source of crimson light. Far off in the forest they could see a faint glowing—their portal home. Below they could see the broken and vine-ridden rooftops of the manor's wings. With caution, they approached the coffin, Minato at the front, most curious of all, almost abandoning safety protocol as it were. "Minato!" whispered the Hokage in a hushed voice, as if not wanting some unknown creature to hear them. "Be careful, lad! We don't know what's in there!"

Minato nodded and carefully flipped the latch of the coffin while the Hokage, Jiraiya, and three other ninja watched, prepared for anything. Minato slowly raised it and much to his surprise, inside was a beautiful woman, seemingly asleep. But Minato knew that this place had not been entered for centuries. Some magic had kept her from decomposing.

As they opened the casket's lid however, they heard something crashing far below, then the screaming of ninja they had left behind. They quickly gathered about the bay window, quickly forgetting about the dead woman, to gaze down upon horror; swarms of hellish monsters flooded the courtyard below, spilling out of the forest quickly, for each one there was another two! They were flooding into the manor, they knew they had little time as they heard fighting echoing up the staircase. They were surrounded, deep in the forests surrounding the manor were monsters, and they were stuck atop this tower with nowhere to hide.

"Minato! What are those things! Where did they come from?"

"Sensei," interjected Jiraiya, "we'd best save that for later! We need to get out of—"

He was interrupted when Minato was approached from behind by the woman who had arisen from her casket and held her clawed hand against his throat. Minato noticed the other five reach for their weapons but he stopped them with a wave of his hand. "Stop! She doesn't know if we're her enemies or not. She won't attack if we are deemed non-hostile…"

Before anyone could react, the woman released him, sensing little aggressiveness from him. She instead approached her door to the stairway where howling and growls of horrifying nature were echoing upwards ever louder as another human scream was heard from below. She slammed the door shut and pressed her hand against it, a magical sigil appearing over it temporarily before fading from sight. Minato watched astounded, seeing a new type of sealing he'd never witnessed before. She turned again and walked up to him defiantly, glaring at him with her pointed teeth bared. Her hair was beautifully red, crimson, as were her eyes. Her skin was pale and soft looking as Minato gazed at her before him. She was clad in a black dress, almost more of a cloak, really. She was barefoot. She gurgled for a moment, barely intelligible over the mumbling and muttering of the ninja in the room arguing about a way out. She spoke with a raspy voice, although light and sultry, as if a beautifully voiced woman had been parched after not drinking for a thousand years. "Where did you…" She paused to cough, her raspy voice fading quickly. "Where did you come from? There were no humans left…"

She paused again and coughed and collapsed to one knee. Minato bent down before her worriedly. "Do you need something to drink?"

"Minato, we don't have time for this! Those things are halfway up the tower!"

The woman nodded as Minato leaned towards her, holding his canteen. She sniffed it and growled, throwing it out of his hand and grabbing his hand instead, biting into his wrist. Minato yelped, but again when the ninja drew their weapons he dissuaded them, she was… drinking his blood, not attacking him. She finished after a moment, his blood dripping from her mouth as the fresh wound in his wrist closed quickly, amazing to the humans in the room. She again spoke, this time with a smooth sultry voice, "There is only one way out. The Dark Ones will be upon us shortly, we cannot escape the way you entered. She approached the massive window that overlooked the writhing black masses far below. She held out her hand and the window burst into a thousand shards. "Where is your asylum? Your haven?"

"Look, over in the forest, you see that glow? That is our way home."

The woman nodded and spoke to them, "Walk with me quickly, the door shan't hold forevermore." She stepped forward, Minato shouted as if she would plummet out the window and fall to her demise but amazingly, she stood as if on solid ground. Minato stepped up to the window's edge, the Hokage and Jiraiya and the remaining three ninja exclaiming. "Minato! Be careful! How do you know she does not trick us?" The woman glared at the man, "I could leave you here to die, if you'd rather it be so."

Minato stepped forward, only to come stably to some invisible surface below him. He stood next to the woman. "Come, we must leave now!"

Her urging forced the remaining five humans jumped towards them to land safely on their invisible barrier. Without a moment's notice, they felt it moving, quickly. They looked below and felt vertigo as the land passed quickly and the estate quickly shrank on the horizon as they flew at high speeds towards the portal in the forest.

They arrived and the barrier disappeared, and the ninja fell with sickness to the ground, not used to such stomach-churning aerial experiences. Minato was the first to stand and approach the two ANBU still guarding the portal. "Hurry, everyone get through the portal! We have to close it before those things come here!"

Without any arguments, the shinobi dashed into their home portal, their sanctuary. Minato made sure that they were all in before he turned to face the mysterious woman. "Come with us, please. You cannot stay here with those beast approaching!"

"Why do you care?" She countered. "You're a human. You can easily leave me here to die so my kind will never haunt your nightmares again. My kind will fade from the annals of history. Leave me here to die with some honor, human."

"No," Minato argued. He could hear distant roaring of a massive horde of monsters approaching. "I don't care what you are! You helped us survive, and now I will help you! Come with me!" He held out his hand towards her, an invitation to her salvation. At the edge of the clearing a horrific beast appeared from the gloom, growling and frothing at its wicked toothed mouth. It roared and dozens of other beasts, each one misshapen and horrific, appeared from the foliage. Minato worriedly stayed, putting himself in danger while the mysterious woman clashed with her innermost feelings about the choices she could make here.

The largest beast pounced towards them, Minato had to leave and close the portal before it entered… he had only a split second and did what he thought was the right thing. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the portal before he arrived on the other side with her and shouted at the ANBU holding up the portal to shut it. As the portal faded and disappeared, a dismembered limb appeared, the same limb of the monster which nearly tore Minato and the now unconscious woman apart… Although now they were safe from harm.

It wasn't a moment later when the woman collapsed, having used the last of her power to bring them to safety. Likewise, Minato himself was unconscious as the drain of the portals' sustaining finally took its toll on him now that they had closed. They were immediately both taken to the ANBU medical facilities, not wanting anyone outside of this top-secret mission to ever know of what transpired and who came back with them.

Nobody would ever know outside of the small circle of the ninja who participated in this secret mission the horrors they had witnessed nor the mysterious inhuman woman they retrieved. None of the public would be privy to any of this information, and only a valuable few could ever know the truth of what happened that day… And what this day ultimately set in motion for the world they called home as an ancient, powerful behemoth awakened far, far away, feeling from his minions that one of his enemies had survived his genocidal reign and had escaped into another world. But the behemoth cared not, for he knew that with time, he could finally wipe out his ancient enemies and all of their allies permanently… And in their absence, this beast knew he could dominate everything that existed or will exist.


	2. Easy Pickings

Disclaimer: This is a disclaimer.

Chapter Two:

Easy Pickings

A young boy awoke with a gasp, panting and sweating heavily in the darkness of the room he slept in; the minimal globules of pale light reflecting off of his darting eyes the only indication of light and movement in the room except for one long crack of daylight between the curtains. He shook himself free of the nightmarish vision that recently accosted him in his sleep and arose, stretching lightly in the bleak blackness, shaking the last few shreds of sleep that still clung to his mind like parasites, eager to cause him to fall back asleep, and to that world of wretched torture and damnation that so commonly wrested control of his dreams.

It wasn't his fault he was so tired as of late, it was summer, and during the summer while the days were a bit longer than usual, he was a bit more tired than he would have been otherwise. He walked carefully towards the curtains which seemed to deny the room and its inhabitant all light before quickly wrenching them apart, bathing his form and the dark room in a bright, late-morning light. The boy's yellow irises quickly grew and his pupils shrank greatly when the unexpected brightness assaulted his pale body, causing him to grimace in pain with a faint snarl before quickly shutting his curtains closed, once more shrouding the room in darkness. He realized that he had overslept, he was late for his training this morning judging by the current elevation of the sun, and hopefully his sensei, his teacher, would understand his tardiness due to his… rather exceptionally unique condition.

With no time to spare, he lit a nearby candlestick with a small match from his bedside table and walked out of his room and into the bathroom with the orange, flickering light leading the way, and quickly showered after the night's visions had left him a bit sweaty with fear. He exited, revealing more pale white skin and a pale blond length of quite spikey hair on his head that reached his shoulders easily, almost forming a pale blonde shaggy mane of sorts. He quickly dressed in his clothing of the day, consisting of black and red varieties of appropriate combat-ready ninja wear, before pulling his hood over his head and leaving his quarters and exiting the rather exquisite manor into the lightly forested land that encircled the manor, easily hiding it from view of passerby in the village of Konohagakure. The verdant trees were healthy and in full bloom, and the grass was well-kept and short with no bushes to hide the forest floor. He walked calmly and quietly around the bricked house, leaving little detectable imprints in the dirt, and in fact, only experienced ninja could ever hope to follow his nearly insubstantial tracks. He worriedly paced towards a small clearing just a short distance away from the mansion, hoping that his sensei would not yet be there, otherwise, the boy would be in trouble, for being even later than the tardiness of his personal tutor was a feat to not be easily undertaken. His heartbeat nearly stopped when he saw what he feared: his sensei waiting for him calmly, sitting under one of the many trees on the grounds of the estate in the shade, reading his little orange book he always kept with him for just such occasions. The boy sighed in defeat, knowing he would be rewarded this day with verbal lashings.

"Naruto, would you like to tell me why you are so late this time?" asked the silver-haired sensei of the boy, named Naruto, although the older man's eyes never left his book. The younger boy approached slowly with his head a bit low, but still watching his sensei. The older ninja was perhaps in his older twenties or younger thirties at first glance, he had silver hair that pointed upwards in a spike and his forehead protector was draped over his left eye, leaving only his right revealed. The lower portion of his face was obscured with a mask that was there seemingly perpetually, for Naruto could never recall a point in time where he had seen his sensei's face.

"Well, you see, sensei, I… well, overslept," said the boy sheepishly with a slight chuckle while he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Right, right…" the older man sighed, "well, I cannot be mad at you, Naruto. I know it's hard for you to deal with this during these long summer days, I simply ask that you perhaps get a louder alarm in order to wake up on time, eh?"

Naruto nodded his approval quickly, knowing not to go against his teacher's wishes, he knew that a "suggestion" was a calmly stated "order" instead, and not listening to the "request" would result in rather painful amounts of training. "Kakashi sensei, I'm sorry for being so late. I'll try to make it on time tomorrow, I promise!" Naruto stated fiercely with determination.

The older man nodded before marking his latest page and finally closing his small orange book. "Well, in any case, Naruto, it is fine, because today isn't just a normal day of training for you and me, you see." Naruto perked up, his curiosity clearly piqued. "Hokage-sama will be reviewing your training personally today, to see how much you've improved, and then he has an offer for you I think you will not refuse," explained the older ninja, his single revealed eye smiling at him. "And that means that today will be my last day as your 'sensei', Naruto. You've improved far more quickly than I ever thought you would. I'm proud to call you my student." Naruto smiled back, revealing slightly elongated and sharpened canine teeth.

"Well, well, well, it seems you've finally awakened, Naruto-kun," spoke an elder man who just appeared in the small clearing behind Naruto, who jumped and turned quickly to come face to face with the Hokage, the leader of the entire village and strongest ninja in all of Konohagakure, who also happened to be his grandfather figure. "Kakashi tells me you've been utilizing your time well. What do you say about that?"

Naruto vigorously nodded again, pride evident on his face. "Yeah, old man, I have been training really hard with Kakashi-sensei."

The "old man" responded with a brightened smile, amused by the boy's jovial mood. "Well then, Naruto-kun, would you mind showing me just what you can do?" The boy nodded very quickly and enthusiastically. The Hokage nodded and Kakashi threw a small kunai at the boy whose back was turned, although Kakashi didn't throw it at maximum power, he didn't want to actually harm the lad. To Naruto, the attack was unexpected, but not unable to be deterred, he turned quickly, his reflexes as such a young age still surprising both the older ninja, before he swiped the kunai out of the air with his claws, causing it to tumble into the grass, not even wounding him in the slightest.

"Oh my, Naruto, you are definitely as quick as Kakashi said you were. But why wouldn't you counter the kunai knife with one of your own? You could hurt yourself had you missed."

"It's okay, Jiji, my fingernails are durable enough to deflect kunai. They don't bother me at all, see?" The blonde boy held up his hand to emphasize that the weapon hadn't even scratched him.

The Hokage nodded his approval at the young boy's antics. As long as he was unharmed, the old man considered that all was well. "Well, Kakashi, would you like to continue? I'd be honored to see for myself what else Naruto-kun is capable of." He waved his hand casually to resume the display of Naruto's abilities. Naruto turned back towards Kakashi, slightly crouched and quite ready for any move Kakashi would make. Kakashi smiled with his one revealed eye, thinking, 'I hope you don't mess up this time, Naruto. I want to be sure you really impress the Hokage! Maybe he'll give me that job I've been after… heh.'

Kakashi casually prepared and threw two shuriken at the blonde boy, but not only these two weapons were thrown, but two more sets were thrown from the trees around the clearing from two of Kakashi's shadow clones, or physical illusions of Kakashi, and although their "shadow clone weapons" were illusions, they would still harm the boy if he were to miss.

Naruto turned as the six weapons approached from all directions and quickly swiped the first two sets out of the air away from him using his claws again, and the last set seemed to veer off course and fly into the grass about him. Sarutobi raised his eyebrow questioningly and looked towards Kakashi. "Well, Kakashi, it seems you require training as well, the set you threw didn't even make it to Naruto, or was that only for distraction?"

Kakashi eye-smiled as he ever did only to respond curtly, "Well Hokage-sama, Naruto has been honing his ability to affect light objects about him. He has a minor telekinetic ability, nothing powerful, yet, but certainly useful. Watch this," Kakashi ended abruptly before throwing a marble from his pocket at the boy at slightly faster speeds. Naruto didn't flinch or move, the light-weight marble just stopped in mid-air before the boy! The Hokage, the strongest ninja around, was astonished. Of course he had heard from Kakashi the previous month about Naruto's current abilities, but this was still amazing to behold, being able to cause objects to levitate in midair like that was amazing in any case, but especially for a boy of only twelve. The marble began to spin while Naruto's eyes were focused on it intently before shooting back at Kakashi twice as fast as Kakashi threw it, although the silver-haired ninja still caught it with ease, after having years of practice in real combat.

"My, my, Naruto, you are just full of surprises, eh?" Sarutobi smiled at Naruto genuinely. He was certainly proud of the boy he watched over since he was born years ago.

"Yes, Jiji, but I'm afraid to say I can't do much more than that, it tires me out fast… And brings one massive headache," Naruto panted out. He had barely been awake for thirty minutes and yet his one unique ability had completely tired him out again, just like the evening prior. Truly, defying gravity itself cost much more physical power than the young boy could muster. He would have to fix that little issue.

"Ah, then would you like an escort to the hospital, Naruto? Afterwards, I'd like to bring you to my office along with Kakashi; I've news for the both of you, and an offer for you, my boy." Naruto nodded his approval before Sarutobi put his hand on the shoulder of the panting boy before the two disappeared, and right before their departure, the old Hokage glanced at Kakashi, who knew to wait for the old man in his office at the center of the village for his arrival with Naruto. Kakashi didn't mind, he could catch up on his reading. He pulled his orange book out and giggled a bit before being drawn into his fantasy world and he teleported half-mindedly to the Hokage's office.

The old man and the tired young boy appeared in a hospital lobby, on the third floor, a rather deserted one at that, since most people were pooled on the first and second floors. As Sarutobi and the boy appeared in a small cloud of smoke, the nurse on duty stood quickly and saluted the Hokage and the boy before greeting them. "Hello, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun! I know what you're here for, Naruto. You look tired. I keep telling you to take your training easy!" she scolded in a sisterly manner. Naruto pouted quietly in a playful fashion.

"Now, now, I'm sure Naruto will learn his lesson… eventually."

The nurse nodded. "Perhaps… or maybe he'll always be a little dense," the nurse giggled at the blushing boy who was only being held up by the Hokage's firm grip on his shoulder.

She left her desk and led them to an empty room down the hallway, a seemingly normal medical room, complete with operation table and first aid kits of various types. She was outside the room for a moment gathering something from the freezer across the hallway before she returned with a couple of blood packs. She handed them off to Naruto and nodded at the Hokage before dismissing herself. "See you later, Naruto."

The boy nodded before quickly glancing fretfully at the Hokage who looked away knowingly to give Naruto his privacy. The boy didn't like people to watch him feed, the act in and of itself rendered him an outcast, but being observed while doing it just outright left him feeling despair. Ripping into the blood packs carefully and not spilling a drop of the crimson fluid before drinking deeply of it, Naruto, or at least his more base instincts, absolutely enjoyed the succulent rosy drink of kings while his pseudo-grandfather watched out the corner of his eye with slight apprehension, Naruto felt his strength return ten-fold, his weakness of the morning being replaced by a rush of energizing power, as if he'd eaten a powerfully nutritious meal and rested for a full night afterward. Although he, too, was apprehensive about his bizarre appetite, he couldn't help but enjoy the nourishment when he needed it, it was an absolutely forbidden fruit that even he resented, but—oh—so enjoyed at the same time!

Naruto finished, licking up the last of the drops of red drink before disposing of the empty plastic sacs that once contained the blood before nodding to the Hokage, who placed his hand upon the young boy's shoulder and they both vanished in an instant, leaving the hospital behind.

Kakashi was reading his book in the Hokage's office casually, lounging in a chair and not feeling a care in the world; at least until the Hokage appeared before him with a popping sound with Naruto in tow, and he shut his book with a snap and pocketed it. "Hokage-sama," Kakashi greeted.

The Hokage nodded and motioned for Naruto to sit as well, before the Hokage himself took the seat behind his oak desk. "Ahem, now I believe we can have our discussion?" started the older man. He looked at Naruto with a twinkle of benevolent optimism. "Naruto, you've progressed far more than I could have ever hoped. You are beyond what many warriors of our time would be at your age. I'm proud of you. And I know your sensei is as well. All that time physically conditioning you, sharpening your reflexes and increasing your abilities have paid off noticeably. So now I offer you a choice. Although I wanted to wait until you were a bit older, I realize now that your powers and maturity more than make up for it. So I will give you the option to graduate from the Academy with other genin-potentials this year, although they would be a bit older than you. You will be put on a team with two of them under a Jounin sensei if you accept. You will work with them and be their team mate for all their missions and they will be your allies everywhere you go. Are you willing to accept this?" Naruto nodded quickly, a determined look in his eye. He'd always wanted to be a ninja and had worked hard for so long, but now it was going to finally pay off, even earlier than expected! "Then Naruto, I will send you to the genin graduation today with a note of acceptance from me, personally. Here," he handed a folded and sealed letter with the Hokage's stamp on it.

"You knew this morning, didn't you, Jiji?" Naruto smiled at the old man and his already-written mischievously.

The old man chuckled, "Yes, I knew you would accept, my boy. For your entire life you've wanted this. I'm proud, Naruto, proud of you. And I know your mother and father would be too." Naruto smiled widely and sincerely, showing off his almost constantly concealed fangs.

The old man turned towards Kakashi with a triumphant look. "Kakashi, that job you've wanted is now available. Do you accept?" Kakashi nodded barely acknowledging the request beyond that simple action. "Well, then Naruto, off you go. The finals for genin graduation are beginning in less than ten minutes. Take this letter to Iruka-sensei. He will be your examiner and determine if you can pass or fail. Good luck!" Naruto nodded and shouted a goodbye of some sort as he leaped out the door and down the stairs and across the town major to get there on time.

The Hokage chuckled. "Well Kakashi? Will you at least be on time for Naruto's sake? He's already fed up with your tardiness, I'm sure."

"…Perhaps he shouldn't have been late for me this morning when I was on time for him." Kakashi pulled out his book to continue reading before disappearing from view while the Hokage shook his head with joviality before going back to his paperwork that he had left earlier this morning.

Iruka was surprised.

He was a teacher, a chunin-level ninja of academic excellence, for a few years he's been top of the shinobi education system, and he gained his abilities having to put up with a wide variety of… events, people, and problems. But this was something, not uncommon, not unwelcome, but unforeseen on Iruka's part. A student came knocking on the door moments after he entered to see his academy students' last day in class, hopefully. It seemed that the Hokage had plans to have one more unheard-of child participate. But that was of little concern to Iruka, he'd test him as per his leader's orders. Besides, another ninja who could gain experience could sooner protect Konoha.

"Alright, Naruto, why don't you take a seat and I'll pass out the first part of the exam, a written test. It will only last for thirty minutes, and I hope you do well."

"Alright, Iruka-san," replied Naruto calmly before taking a seat. He didn't see Iruka's eye twitch in annoyance.

'Doesn't he know how to address his betters?'

"Time begins as soon as I put down the final paper. You all have thirty minutes. Good luck," said Mizuki, another chunin instructor. He walked through the rows of students sitting at their desks depositing the exams. He watched the new kid curiously as he eagerly accepted his exam, he hadn't seen one other eager student today, and they were all nervous — disregarding standing extraneous circumstances. Iruka and Mizuki shared a look as Mizuki returned to his seat at the front of the room, both watching the quick scratching of Naruto's pencil on the paper, unlike the other's hesitant scribbling and erasure.

As the time came to a stop, Iruka directed them all to stop writing and turn in their tests. They formed a relatively orderly and disgruntled line, although Naruto seemed to hover a few inches higher than the rest, again drawing the two chunins' attention. Iruka and Mizuki then led all of their students outside, to the back of the academy near some training logs jutting out of the ground. "Alright, now it's time to examine your ranged combat abilities. All of you will throw five weapons of your choice at the targets, hit at least four out of five to pass this portion." The students nodded in understanding at the older ninja's directions. Mizuki was inside grading exams for the moment.

Most of the hopefuls hit their scarred wooden targets semi-accurately, although some were more precise than others. Naruto noticed Sasuke Uchiha's well-honed ability; each of his thrown weapons impacted their targets in rather dangerous areas. Iruka then called Naruto for his performance with the thrown weapons, right as Mizuki walked outside from the classroom where he finished grading papers. Mizuki watched, astonished, that a young boy utterly devastated the targets. The five kunai he threw were stabbed into the wooden posts faster than the eye could see, each one buried to the hilt, each one would have killed a human. The other students were rather surprised. Iruka smiled at Naruto and nodded at his passing.

"Finally, it's time for the close combat exam. Each of you will spar for sixty seconds with Mizuki. Your goal is to last at least that long. Lasting longer than sixty seconds against him will net you bonus points should you fall short in the other categories of your genin exams…" Iruka explained while Mizuki stood within a dirt circle amidst the grass, the diameter of the "sparring circle" approximately three meters, just enough to allow maneuverability. Naruto watched along with the other non-combatants as Mizuki sparred with various genin, few making it to sixty seconds, fewer surpassing. Naruto smirked as he saw the Akimichi heir defend so well against Mizuki that his time was called after five minutes of Mizuki attempting to knock him out of the ring. Sasuke Uchiha was another decent combatant, he smirked as he went at Mizuki much faster than the other genin, and dodged much of the older man's attacks. His time was called after five minutes of Mizuki attempting to tag him. Iruka was greatly impressed.

"Wow, it seems you will make graduate hall-of-fame, Sasuke. That was fantastic footwork, there."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei," replied Sasuke in monotone with a bored expression.

"Finally, Mr. Uzumaki, if you would grace us with your combat, we can finish the combat exams."

Naruto nodded and stepped into the ring to face Mizuki, who immediately charged at him as he'd done with the other genin.

Without stopping to think about it, his instincts coming into play rather immediately, he ducked under Mizuki's grapple and spun with his leg extended to drop the man on the dirt, face first. Before his head even hit the ground, Naruto grabbed one hand and held it behind the man's back, twisting it, slightly causing Mizuki pain. Iruka was dumbfounded that this kid the Hokage sent is a fresh academy student, he just pinned Mizuki who was struggling to move. "Alright, Naruto… er, I'll give you the bonus for incapacitating Mizuki… you can release him."

Naruto smirked and helped Mizuki up. Mizuki smirked back at him. "You're good kid. You can be one hell of a ninja someday, I promise you."

With that, the students were led back inside like sheep to the slaughter, or at least that's what some of their expressions would depict. The nervousness was absolutely palpable while they waited in the class room, even if the nervous students were less than the majority of students. The entire atmosphere was rather tense, to most, anyway. Naruto was rather calm and excited to finish his exam and earn his forehead protector and become a true ninja, he wanted to go back home to his grandfather with pride and show his new status as ninja of the village Konohagakure. Nothing could dampen his spirits.

"Naruto, you may enter," Iruka called. Naruto didn't know what this final portion would consist of but he was sure he could do it well. He was standing before Iruka and Mizuki at a desk in a private room. On the desk were forehead protectors, some with different colored cloths. "Naruto, this is the final part of the exam, and I'm sure you'll do just as well here as you have previously…" started Iruka.

Mizuki continued on, interrupting Iruka. "All you have to do is the transformation jutsu, the clone jutsu, and the body-switch jutsu. Complete these and you'll have your forehead protector, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and focused his chakra while performing hand seals in succession. With a puff of smoke, Naruto stood alongside four other clones. He then dispelled them into four clouds of quickly-dispersing smoke before switching his body with a nearby chair. Nothing overly impressive thus far, the two chunin examiners thought, but he could perform the basic ninjutsu without speaking the name of it, unlike others who need to do so in order to focus their chakra more. That was extra points for this new kid, certainly. Naruto then transformed into the Hokage, and the two were surprised that this kid had apparently been around the Hokage enough to copy his every last detail, something Iruka doubted he could do flawlessly.

"Alright, Naruto! You pass, good job. Grab a forehead protector of your choice and head back to the classroom," congratulated Mizuki.

"Thanks, Mizuki-san, Iruka-san!" Naruto exclaimed as he quickly grabbed a black-cloth forehead protector and left the room.

"So, Iruka, do you think the Hokage lied about him?"

"Of course not, Mizuki, you saw everything he did. It was phenomenal."

"I definitely agree with that. I wasn't lying when I told him he has serious potential."

Iruka nodded and stood, prepared to go congratulate the students who passed.

Naruto re-entered the classroom, not really surprising the students at this point, they had all seen his capabilities on the battlefield and expected his basic three jutsu to be just as successful, and they were correct in their assumptions as the graduates watched Naruto walk back in with his forehead protector tied around his belt. He passed all of his comrades as he made for the spare seat in the back of the class room next to a quiet, red female—wait, red?

Naruto looked again at the pale-eyed girl that sat next to him, raising an eyebrow that nobody could see under his hood.

'Huh. She is really red. Maybe she's sick or something.'

At the front of the room, Iruka emerged with a successful grin on his face. "It seems you all have passed, some better than others, but nonetheless you shall all be assigned to a jounin instructor who will lead you and train you further. It was great being your instructor, and I hope you all become successful ninja in your service to Konoha."

He trailed off into a list of those who were grouped on teams and listing their instructors. It was then that Naruto heard a name he was waiting for eagerly. "Team seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto was pleased. "Your instructor is Kakashi Hatake." Naruto's grin turned upside down and his face hit the weathered oak desk. His face would not leave that location for three more hours, as his new teammates would come to find the reason why for themselves.

"Hey, guys, meet me up on the roof for our team meeting."

Naruto's eye twitched as he rose from his desk and walked to the top of the academy with his two very annoyed teammates. There, they found Kakashi reading his perpetually present orange book casually. His eye never left it as he spoke to them. "Alright, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I like to read, I dislike wasting time, and my dream is to… well, that's a bit private. Why don't you introduce yourselves now?"

Sakura took initiative. "I'm Sakura Haruno, and I like to study medicine, and Sasuke-kun. I dislike… bullies. My dream is to become a strong kunoichi for Sasuke-kun."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, I like training and conditioning myself, I dislike anything else. My dream is to avenge my fallen clan." Naruto glanced at the boy for a moment from under his hood.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like plenty of things. I dislike people who judge others without getting to know them. My dream is to… find my niche in the world."

Kakashi made a thinking sound as he heard the children speak. "Alright, well, here's the deal, guys," started the one-eyed jounin. "You aren't officially genin yet. You have to take _my_ exam before you become true genin. And my exam is tomorrow at seven a.m. sharp, at training ground seven. I dare you guys to forget that. Oh, and don't eat, you'll puke. Later." The lazy jounin disappeared without a trace, leaving three annoyed genin who separated. Naruto watched his two teammates walk away while he returned to his grandfather figure, ready to show his new forehead protector.

'Hm… that guy, Naruto… he seems strong. Perhaps he'll be a decent sparring partner.'

Kakashi watched from a well-hidden position as his squad separated without many other words, disregarding Sakura begging Sasuke for a date. He sighed and shook his head before teleporting away, deciding to catch up on his reading. He hoped that, in the case that they begin acting like a team, that Naruto wouldn't be afraid of them. He knew under Naruto's behavior existed a deep distrust of people, even if he was kind and helpful, he was scared of them. He wouldn't want them to treat him differently because of his… life. Kakashi knew, and he knew that the Hokage knew, that Naruto was scared how his comrades would react to someone new, someone powerful, and someone… inhuman.

AN: Yeah, these chapters are going to be shorter than my other story, relatively speaking of the comparative lengths of chapters... Hopefully because of that, I'll upload them a bit faster. I want to get through the Wave and Chunin Exams arc as fast as possible; none of the really good stuff happens until after that.


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